Format flips: Do advertisers get notified in advance?

[ixnay]

When a station flips formats, how are their major advertisers dealt with? Are they notified in advance of the flip?

ixnay

 

[davideduardo]

When a station flips formats, how are their major advertisers dealt with? Are they notified in advance of the flip?

ixnay

Each case is going to be different.

Generally, the changing station does not want its plans known.

In the case of agency accounts, national agencies will be advised by the station rep firm as close to the date as possible to the shift. Local agencies, which buy part on numbers and part on relationships, will have to be taken into confidence and convinced to keep their business through the change.

If the format change is radical, such as AC to Spanish Mexican Regional, then there will be renegotiation, with lots of clients leaving.

Local direct accounts fundamentally buy on multiple factors involving trust, relationships, past results, customer feedback and the like will need to be shown that the change benefits them in bringing customers. The station will likely do this in the week of the change, buy knowing that clients with relationships with other stations will be on the phone to them immediately.

Often incentives are given when a flip happens so that advertisers will stay aboard. Usually, these are in the form of cut rates or two for one during the first months.

Often a station will lose all its client base. I did a flip from Beautiful Music to the equivalent of country some years back, and 100% of clients cancelled.

 

[Gregg.]

This is a good topic because I wonder why, when a station makes a dramatic and unexpected shift, such as AC to Active Rock, how are there advertisers on Day One? Is it that some advertisers don't care? They buy 52 week schedules and even if the new format is someone reading the phone book, if the rate is low enough, they are on it?

Is the station practically giving away the spots since they don't want to sound like nobody is advertising? I worked for a station that was running a network format. To make it sound like advertisers were interested in us, we ran network spots in all available breaks, even if we weren't getting paid for them. Of course, some music stations do a promotion like 40,000 songs in a row. I remember a number of stations have done this, including KCYY San Antonio, when it switched to country music in the 1990s.

If the format flip is unannounced, as David says above, you can't tell your advertisers more than a couple of days in advance because they will SURELY tell your competitor stations.

 

[TheBigA]

This is a good topic because I wonder why, when a station makes a dramatic and unexpected shift, such as AC to Active Rock, how are there advertisers on Day One?

You probably need to be specific here, because a lot of the format flips I've seen promoted that they were "commercial & jock free" for the first month, or as you say, "40,000 songs in a row." That way, they don't need to hire talent, and they don't need advertisers until they have data to sell. Remember: The advertiser isn't buying a format, he's buying the audience.

 

[Kent]

Of course, some music stations do a promotion like 40,000 songs in a row. I remember a number of stations have done this, including KCYY San Antonio, when it switched to country music in the 1990s.

The launch of KCYY happened in either '86 or '87. It was a surprising format change at the time as KLLS was doing quite well. Granted, it worked for them, but it left a lot of people shocked.

If the format flip is unannounced, as David says above, you can't tell your advertisers more than a couple of days in advance because they will SURELY tell your competitor stations.

My experience has been that the sales staff knows before most anybody else of an impending format change. I knew somebody who worked in sales for CBS in Kansas City in the late 90's. When KOZN was about to flip to AC as KSRC "Star 102," she knew before any of the airstaff. The sales staff was told, in no uncertain terms, to shift potential KOZN buyers to KMXV or KBEQ whenever possible. That told her all she needed to know about the longevity of 102.1 The Zone. It was gone about three weeks after she told me of the meeting.

The one format change where I worked was when KOQL "KOOL 106.1" in Columbia, MO became top-40 "Q-106.1." Other than the owners, the OM and his wife (who was also his morning co-host and KJCQ "Q-104" midday host) were the only people who had any advance knowledge. I found out when my alarm went off the next morning, and I heard 102.3 BXR instead of Steve & DeDe. The biggest sponsor KOOL had was a business that had mattress and furniture stores in the area. If you were a regular listener, those business aired so many spots on the station, you would've thought they had an ownership interest. They dropped when the format change happened.

 

[KML0224]

I wonder how that worked here in the Hartford/New Britain/Middletown market? 104.1 FM of Waterbury became a modern rock/alternative station in the fall of 1994. A few years later (2004 maybe?), then-owners Clear Channel flipped them to urban contemporary Power 104.1. They did this, since sister station Kiss 95.7 of Hartford/Meriden was getting slaughtered by crosstown rival Hot 93.7 (owned by CBS Radio/Infinity?). Some time later, Clear Channel sold off 104.1. At that time, the station changed back to modern rock/alternative, becoming Radio 104.1 (presently owned by Full Power Radio).

More recently, Full Power Radio took over WDRC-AM 1360 and 102.9 FM of Hartford, making them them sister stations. I don't know about ad rates, but do hear jocks voicing ads on opposite stations at times. (example...Music Professor Rob Ray of 102.9 voicing an ad heard on 104.1 or morning jock Amy Gray of 104.1 appearing for a spot on 102.9).

Then there was the ownership change with WTIC-FM 96.5 of Hartford. For years, they were market leader 96 TIC-FM, the CHR/Top 40 station in the whole state, owned by the Chase family. Ratings soon started to slip. They then sold the station to CBS Radio/Infinity (?). They changed to Hot AC 96.5-TIC on June 12, 1994. They've largely had that format since. (I LOVED the previous format and presentation!)

 

[MarcB]

More recently, Full Power Radio took over WDRC-AM 1360 and 102.9 FM of Hartford, making them them sister stations. I don't know about ad rates, but do hear jocks voicing ads on opposite stations at times. (example...Music Professor Rob Ray of 102.9 voicing an ad heard on 104.1 or morning jock Amy Gray of 104.1 appearing for a spot on 102.9).

I hear commercials done by 102.9's Rob Ray on their sister station Kool 96.1/990 along with 104.1's Amy Grey. Amy is also a news reporter on Kool 96.1/990 using the name Wendy London. She also fills in on 96.1/990 from time to time for Michael Maze.